Legerdemain
by PRETTYPRINCESSchan
Summary: A Young Justice fanfiction containing an OC. Romance will come along eventually, message me with pairings you would like to see.
1. Chapter 1: Hat Trick!

**Hello, everyone! So I took an entirely different approach to this whole thing, and I've been working really hard on it. :) So, I hope you like not only my OC, but the story itself. Uhm, reviews and _constructive_ criticism would be much appreciated. This story will begin with _Young Justice_ and transcend into_ Teen Titans_** **time. I do not own any of the utilized DC characters, settings, or plots. Yet, Charm/Felicity is all mine. Please do not steal her.**

**Oh yes, for visualization purposes follow the below link (without the spaces in between) in order to see what Charm looks like.**

http: / dreaminfinite. deviantart .com / # / d4t69d5

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><p><strong>Chapter One: Hat-Trick!<strong>

It's really quite dark in here. Truthfully, things could be worse, I mean, I could be claustrophobically cringing in a cardboard box instead of thanking God for the comfort of fluorescent bulbed lighting, dangling distantly above me. Still, though, you never know exactly how dull things can get until you're stuck on the other end of the infamous, overdone _hat-trick._

Traditionally, it's done with a bunny or a bouquet, yet the latter doesn't exactly come in something a little more hypoallergenic for the sinus-sensitive sorceresses of the world. Therefore, you have probable cause to assume that I'm the only other option.

Felicity Renée Aster, or as my "mentor" calls me, the rabbit in everyone's hat.

If you've ever been introduced to Physics, you're probably wondering how this is possible. After all, if I'm a rabbit, how can I talk? If I'm a human, how can I fit in a hat? If you're an English enthusiast, you're probably trying to analyze the figurative possibilities of my claim. If you're a believer, then I probably shouldn't have to explain any of _this_ to you, but I will anyway.

In order to successfully perform this trick, the magician must place the hat on a specially made table or chest. The hat will, of course, have a false bottom sort of thing, and the table/chest will have something a kin to a secret opening from where a "magically appearing" item can be pulled. A magician can also alternatively do this with a quick sleigh of the hand along with a bit of misdirection, thus allowing them to retrieve something from their sleeve rather than the hat. Something like this usually has a cleaner effect on the audience because they can actually inspect the hat to prove that the trick is legitimate. However, it's not as easy to stuff a herbivore in the sleeve of a rent-a-tux as it is to put one in a battered top hat. All in all, it's a pretty easy gimmick; that's why so many pre-pubescent magicians can do it.

Ah, but, I probably shouldn't have shared with you so much. After all, you might be reminded of the saying that goes something like, "A good magician never reveals his secrets!"

But, in fact, my superfluous knowledge of the tricks of the trade don't readily make me a magician or a sorceress of any sort, on the contrary...they just make me one hell of a _sidekick._

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><p>"And for my final illusion, I'd like to..."<p>

The adolescent magician paused with a coy smile plastered across her fair face. It was clear to the audience seated before her that she knew very well the level of suspense such an ellipsed statement created and that, overall, the desired effect amused her greatly.

Instead of revealing the rest of he statement, she gingerly traced the brim of her coal black hat with the fingertips of her white gloved hands. It was inevitable that the anxious audience would fail to interpret her gesture as a subtle hint, though.

"...pull a rabbit out of my hat."

The crowd that had once been constantly in a state of awestruck uproar was now was so taciturn that silly idioms like "so silent you could hear a pin drop" became necessary when describing them.

"Sheesh," The magician huffed as she, in exasperation, blew a few inky strands out of her face. "I know I'm not pulling a Houdini here, but could you guys be more credulous?"

Since her sarcasm had been mumbled almost incoherently, she did not at all anticipate to the reply she would receive.

"Didn't Houdini do the hat trick too?" A very small voice inquired somewhat tentatively.

The magician scoffed at the other person's apparent knowledge on the subject. "Yes, of course, but that's not the kind of grandeur he was known for. Duh!"

In her irritation, her voice became a lot more audible to the anxious crowd members.

"WHAT?" Some shouted in response to what appeared to be jargon of the magician.

"DO YOUR TRICK!" Others ordered rather rudely.

"BOOOOOOOOOO!" The tell-tale sign of irritated audience members.

The latter statement was what left the magician the most jaded, so naturally she payed the most attention to it.

Unfortunately, so did her father.

"Zatanna, you musn't keep your audience waiting!" The accented advice was immediately recognized as having originated from the mouth of the mystical, magical Zatara (otherwise known as the doting father of the young magician girl_ and _the magic master of the Justice League).

"Right, dad!" The magician nodded. She held no desire to be chided further by her father, and as a result was desperate to regain her focus.

"All of you seem as if you expect very little of my grand finale," The magician began with pursed lips. For added effect, she made a few "tut" and "tsk" sounds to emphasize her disappointment. "But with the Zataras you should always know to expect the unexpected!"

Long before the audience had time to process this mysterious syntax, Zatanna's hat came off with the flick of a wrist.

"[1]Nruter Mrahc ot reh lanigiro ezis!"

She released the had and almost immediately the audience burst into a round of applause. Since this was obviously not due to her "magic words" babble, it could have only been a direct result of the 5'4 tall female standing over the torn remains of what had once been a dashing black hat.

"Hey there, folks! Would you like to know what's really unexpected?" The girl questioned as she grinned broadly at the stunned onlookers. "Zatanna's hat bill!"

The girl snorted smugly; Zatanna did not. "Clever, Fee."

"I know," The girl smiled her genuine thanks.

"Ahem," The magician began with her voice level increasing for the benefit of the audience. "Allow me to introduce to you my lovely assistant, _Charm_!"

Charm, the girl in question, curtsied cutely to the crowd.

"You all are smart enough to know how impossible it is for this to have been done with the mere sleigh of the hand, but I can assure you that trap doors were also not utilized in the trick." The magician explained. She always felt it was very important to prove the legitimacy of her skill.

"What about false bottoms?" A particularly _intelligent_ audience member queried.

Zatanna rolled her eyes. "If the hat were still in existence, I promise I would have let you examine it to confirm its distinct lack of such a thing."Her gaze shifted from the audience to the fabric scraps that were flattened by Charm's feet.

Inwardly, she sighed. Charm was right; her hat bill would be rather outrageous...if she actually had to purchase them.

"Oops, sorry!" Charm squeaked as her ears flattened in a very Bugs Bunny sort of way.

Whether they initially enjoyed it or not, the crowd always got a kick out of the hat trick. Well, maybe they simply got a kick out of Charm, what with her "costume" and all. To the audience it must have seemed like state-of-the-art stage makeup and the radical remnants of an Easter Bunny outfit, but if they were to consider just who Zatanna is and what her superpowers are, well, they'd know better.

Charm was a small figure of five feet and four inches with hair the color of plastic Easter grass, pink, feline-like eyes, and gray-scale skin. Abnormal as it may have been, that was what she'd been born with...but the rabbit ears, cotton-ball tail, and thick, wispy whiskers? Now they were accredited solely to Zatanna's cold spells. It was a gimmick that Zatanna and Charm had stuck with since the first grade, and it worked for them _quite_ well.

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><p>Patience was the one thing that prodigal Zatanna Zatara definitely did not inherit from her father, but at the very least she was reserved enough not to let such time-related anxiety show. The same, of course, could not be said for her pellucid partner.<p>

"But Giooooooooooooooo~" Charm whined with a well-practiced pout.

She sincerely hoped that her look of ultimate displeasure was persuasive enough to play the pity card on her current tormentor, Giovanni "John" Zatara.

"You can't always rely on magic, Felicity."

Being on a first name basis with Zatara was a privilege that not even League members or biological family were granted, so it was a wonder indeed that a twelve year old girl could get away with it.

"Correction, you can't always rely on _my_ magic."

A wonder that Zatanna did not quite like.

Charm's expression flattened considerably at Zatanna's infallible ability to be a smartass.

"Yeah, well," She sniffed indignantly. "Obviously, I don't need you!"

Zatanna quirked a slim, black brow at this. "Oh, really? You don't?" She probed.

"Really! I have my own powers, you know!" Charm fervently assured her.

"Being lucky is so not a superpower!" Zatanna countered with a roll of her eyes.

"Neither are common parlor tricks!" Charm retorted snidely.

Zatanna's face suddenly sported a look of shock.

"How dare you say that, Felicity! You know that-"

"I know that you are the most uncouth-"

"What_ever_, I'm the essence of couth!"

"The essence of annoying!"

"GIRLS!"

"Sorry, dad." "Sorry, Gio." They spouted simultaneously.

Zatara was generally a very strict, solemn man burdened by the weight all superheroes and heroines seemed to share, but in this particular instance his face seemed older, sterner even, as he let out a long sigh.

"I should not have to tell you how tired I grow of your incessant arguing," Zatara began as he ran a white gloved hand through his ravenous hair. Whether or not they were truly contrite, both young Zatanna and Charm bowed their heads in shame."So instead, I am simply going to chide you on another matter entirely."

"Not using magic as a crutch?" Charm offered tentatively to which Zatara smiled lightly.

"Yes, Felicity. That is the idea, but I wish the two of you would actually take to it rather than simply know of it." Zatara elaborated.

"Magic is something I'm good at, dad, why wouldn't I heavily utilize my skill?" Zatanna queried.

"What if you are forced into a battle against an opponent who can negate your powers?" Zatara replied as he placed a hand to his mustache.

"Well, I, uh..." Zatanna began, obviously feeling quite unsure.

"Exactly!" Zatara exclaimed.

"But that has absolutely nothing to do with cleaning the stage!" Charm sputtered. As if for added emphasis, she threw down the basted old broom she had once clutched.

That's right. It was but a mere hour and a half after the performance of "The Spectacular Zatanna!" and her assistant, Charm, when Zatara had somewhat spontaneously decided that the girls' training for today would consist of cleaning up the stage the human way.

"Granted this is not the best way for the two of you to train, I just assumed that it would be the least time consuming..." Zatara trailed off mysteriously.

"Why would the amount of time it takes matter?" Zatanna inquired, it was obvious that she was not very suspicious of her father.

"Ah, well now, today is _the_ day is it not?" Zatara smirked knowingly.

". . ." Silence befell the two flabbergasted female proteges of the master magician.

"July Fourth...?" Zatanna questioned slowly.

"Independence Day?" Charm finished for her.

Their eyes were as wide as dinner plates as the realization suddenly hit them.

"OH MY GOD, TODAY'S THE DAY!" They proclaimed in glorious unison.

Despite himself, Zatara chuckled.

"Yes, I was correct about the level of importance it held for you." Zatara nodded at his hypothesis that had been soundly confirmed.

"Does this mean that we get to go, dad?" Zatanna questioned eagerly.

"That we get to become real heroes..err, heroines?" Charm quipped.

"Actually, no. I refuse to allow you to partake in such idiocy, but..."

Before either of the girls grins had the chance to deflate, Zatara cleared his throat and flicked his wrist towards the general direction of Charm's discarded broom.

"[2]Ekam taht moorb mrofsnart otni a gnikrow noisivelet!"

The sudden appearance of a generic television set was shocking enough, but the fact that it worked without being plugged up to anything was the most alarming. The extent of Zatara's powers never ceased to amaze his underlings.

"This is Mariah Starr with Gotham City News!" A bubbly blonde woman, appearing to be in her early thirties, smiled cheerfully through her Colgate-worthy teeth. Behind her, there existed a panoramic view of the capital city of the United States in all of its official splendor.

"I have no qualms with you watching it whilst you clean, if it proves not to be too distracting." Zatara finished proudly.

Zatanna and Charm surely would have sighed at his behavior if they had not already become engrossed in the content of the news.

"Yes, folks! All around the country today is _the_ day for the courageous young crusaders of justice! Apprentice to Aquaman, Aqualad, speedy sidekick to the Flash, Kid Flash, and last but certainly not least, partner to the Dark Knight and Gotham's very own Boy Wonder: Robin! Each will make the first, bold step towards becoming their own superhero, no longer bound to the side of their mentors!"

Brief cameos of each aforementioned adolescent sidekick showing their early afternoon take-downs of ice-related villains flashed by as the anchorwoman talked, and it was a definite fact that Charm could scarcely resist the urge to swoon.

"Wowie, I think I just discovered a new hobby!" Charm gushed.

"What's that, Fee?" Zatanna questioned, utterly bemused.

"Birdwatching~" This caused the both of them to burst into giggles.

"And_ that _is probably the most prominent reason why I will not let you join them," Zatara explained with a disgusted expression. "Teenaged boys and the two of you absolutely do not mix."

Before Zatanna had the chance to complain with one of her usual quips such as, "Dad! Why can't you give me some space?" her father vanished with the backwards whisper of a transportation spell.

"[3]Tropsnart em ot eht rewothctaw..."

Of course, he should have known by now that his pupils were masters of deciphering backwards words.

"Watchtower, what's that?" Charm blinked.

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><p><strong>To save you the trouble of deciphering backwards incantations:<strong>

**[1]Nruter Mrahc ot reh lanigiro ezis** - Return Charm to her original size.

**[2]Ekam taht moorb mrofsnart otni a gnikrow noisivelet** - Make that broom transform into a working television.

**[3]Tropsnart em ot eht rewothctaw -** Transport me to the Watchtower.


	2. Chapter 2: ZigZag Girl!

**Oh~hoh, I've written another chapter for this story. :) I would quite enjoy reviews, but if you are someone like the ever so idiotic and anonymous _Kiko_ I should hope that your future reviews prove to be a little more grammatically correct. Otherwise, they're not exactly worth taking seriously now, are they?**

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><p><strong>Chapter Two: Zig-Zag Girl!<strong>

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><p>Do you know what happens when you miss out on a field trip to the Hall of Justice?<p>

You also miss out on a lot of other spectacular things such as:

-Uncovering the evils of Project CADMUS.

-Discovering the truth behind the Hall of Justice and the Watchtower.

-Meeting a gorgeous, teenaged clone of Clark _freakin' _Kent.

-And, oh yeah, getting the chance to be part of a covert team of adolescent superheroes.

LAAAAMMMEEE~!

"I can't believe you lied to us about the Hall of Justice, dad!" Zatanna screeched as she threw her hands up in exasperation.

"I _can_ believe it," I sniffed indignantly before taking a huge bite out of a flower in one of my partner's numerous bouquets. Don't judge me, okay. I'm part [1]_Sylvilagus floridanus _more often than not, so I kind of develop a taste for certain things...and besides, it's not like Zatanna will miss one bouquet compared to the hundreds of flowers she gets thrown at her every, single performance.

"I never actually lied to the two of you, I simply did not divulge in telling you the entire truth." Giovanni stated as he adjusted the color of his white button-up.

"Which is essentially the same thing as a lie, Gio," I pointed out, tossing the leftover stem of the daffodil I had been crunching into a nearby trashcan.

"Look, would you rather have found out on national television and looked like naive little girls?" Zatara countered as he quirked a brow at the two of us.

He definitely did have a point there. I mean, Aqualad, Robin, and Kid Flash totally looked like oblivious idiots when it was revealed to the general public that they didn't even know that the Hall of Justice was just a playground for the press, a place in which League members caught Zeta-Beam teleporter tubes to the real Justice League headquarters, the _Watchtower._ It would figure that sulky Speedy would have to be the one to enlighten them on the matter, though.

"Well, no..." Zatanna began as her firm resolve suddenly faltered.

"But, now they have their own team, Gio, their own headquarters!" I reminded him with a pout.

"You girls are not quite ready for such responsibilities, and I'm sure that their team has already reached its quota on members..." Zatara stated as he tightened his bowtie.

"Don't they only have, like, three members?" I inquired in confusion. Three members hardly seemed like a well-rounded team to me. I mean, they didn't even have an even number of people since Speedy decided to refute his position as Green Arrow's sidekick!

"Five with the addition of the clone of Superman and the niece of Martian Manhunter..." Zatara revealed as he raised a deductive gloved finger in the air.

"...THERE'S A GIRL ON THE TEAM?" Zatanna and I cried out in outrage.

"She's much older than the two of you, and her powers are far more advanced-" Zatara tried to make an excuse for it, but we absolutely would not have it.

"Are you calling us weak?" Zatanna frowned at the very thought.

"Come on, Gio, even if she's stronger than us it could be like the [2]Zig-Zag girl!" I offered grinning broadly at the two of them. When both magicians gave me a blank look I felt the need to explain.

"You know, where you divide a girl into three sections! Zatanna, Manhunter's niece, and I could make up a unified front that, together, could be just as strong as a full-fledged League heroine!" I suggested.

Zatara pursed his lips at my theory. "You have the most interesting ideas, Felicity, and I'm sure they will be of use to you when you are much older and more prepared to take on the dangers that even a-" he paused in order to hold back a scoff, "-Young Justice member must face."

"...so that's a no?" I sighed.

"For now." Zatara nodded in conformation.

"Well then, can we at least _visit_ them? It would be fantastic to meet another girl sidekick, let alone an alien one!" Zatanna, not missing a beat, redirected the aim of her request. "...well, assuming that Fee isn't an alien, of course."

Deciding to be benevolent rather than violent with her, I chose to ignore her teasing.

"Yeah! I would totally love to tour Mount Justice, and the fresh air would probably do us good!" I insisted as I grinned broadly at my mentor.

"...hmm..."

Zatara was silent for a few moments as he contemplated this. My stomach suddenly gave a low grumble, and I saw fit to pacify it with a daisy. Just as my teeth were about to sink into the soft petals, Zatara finally spoke.

"Perhaps if I allow this it would be good for both of you, but especially you, Felicity, and maybe you will stop devouring all of our decorative plants..." Zatara considered.

"Tell me about it, I feel like it would have been a better idea for Batman to send Poison Ivy to you rather than Arkham!" Zatanna obviously agreed with her dad's idea.

In mild offense, I scoffed. "Puh_-lease_, I wouldn't eat her. She'd be too itchy and vile!"

Zatanna laughed, but her father merely rolled his eyes.

"Right, I will see about contacting Batman and Red Tornado for permission shortly."

It was a small feat in itself to get Giovanni Zatara to agree to anything, so at the small victory I couldn't help but beam.

"SCORE!" Childish as it may have been, Zatanna and I highfived.

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><p>It seemed that "shortly" turned out to be a lot longer than either Zatanna or Charm expected.<p>

In fact, by the time they were actually granted clearance into the infamous lair of the Young Justice team, _Mount Justice_, another girl had already beaten them to it, taken a step further, and actually joined the team. Artemis: niece of Green Arrow and replacement of Red Arrow (formerly known as Speedy).

"I'm so excited! So," Twitch. "Very," Twitch-Twitch. "EXCITED!"

It was obvious that Charm was the most enthusiastic of the three. If one could not tell from her brilliant smile alone, then the incessant twitching of her lime green ears was a dead give-away.

"You say that as if we couldn't already tell," Zatanna replied, utterly bemused.

Since even a simple visit to Mount Justice was considered hero business, Charm and Zatanna saw fit to suit up. Zatanna's crime fighting apparel was quite similar to that of her father's. Her attire consisted of a white button up shirt under a low-cut, pale yellow vest, a black jacket, white bow-tie, and short black shorts. Its nearly monochromatic nature contrasted greatly with the outfit of Charm: a hot pink tank-top underneath of a quarter sleeve black jacket, slanted black skirt, black fishnets, black heels, and a hot pink bow-tie.

"Well, how would I know if you could tell or not? I'm not a mind reader, you know," Charm assured her with her nose high in the air.

"Best behavior, girls." Zatara said simply, obviously choosing to ignore their antics as he promptly disappeared.

"RECOGNIZED: ZATARA, 11." Came the automated voice of the computer system at Mount Justice. Charm and Zatanna could hear it even from the outside.

Although Charm was still the most anxious, even Zatanna became a bit nervous at the sudden realization of it all.

"ACCESS GRANTED: ZATANNA ZATARA, A03. AUTHORIZATION: ZATARA, 11."

And just like that, Zatanna was in.

"This is it!" Charm exclaimed in excitement, adrenaline pumping through her veins.

She waited with baited breath for her name to be called and logged into the system computer.

"...Any moment now," She added.

"..." She bit her lip.

"Surely they didn't forget about me!" She assured herself, although she was actually quite unsure.

"..."

"GIOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-!" She panicked, but then it came.

"ACCESS GRANTED: CHARM, A04. AUTHORIZATION: ZATARA, 11."

* * *

><p>"Zatanna, Charm, this is the team." Zatara introduced with a wave of his cane.<p>

Whilst Zatanna looked absolutely amazed, Charm scowled.

"YOU FORGOT ABOUT ME, GIO!" She huffed as she pointed an accusatory finger in the master magician's general direction.

"Not at all, Charm, I was simply allowing you to linger a bit as per Zatanna's request." Zatara explained, followed by a deep, amused chortle.

"...oh, so it's Zatanna's fault is it?" Charm swiveled about to face her partner.

"Guilty," Zatanna winked.

"Cruel and unusual punishment is against the eighteenth amendment, you know!" Charm reminded her.

"Well, actually, it's the eighth." Charm was surprised to find that this correction came not from her partner, but from a ginger kid in his civvies, seated upon a reclining chair.

"Wow, it's really sad when Kid Idiot knows more than you do..." A blonde girl in a forest green mask whispered to her teammates. She obviously didn't realize the level of superior hearing that rabbit ears could grant a person.

"Why you-" Charm began, her gray face taking on some legitimate coloring for once.

"Charm," Zatara warned as his eyes narrowed at the girl.

Almost as quickly as the Kid Flash could run, Charm straightened up.

"Sorry, Zatara." She nodded feebly.

"Anyway, team, this is my daughter, Zatanna." Zatanna smiled shyly at the unfamiliar faces.

"Also, this is her partner, Charm." Charm smiled politely in acknowledgement as Zatara placed his hands gently on the shoulders of the young girls.

"Hi, I'm-" Miss Martian began, landing in front of them.

"ROBIN!" The Boy Blunder finished for his green-skinned companion as he leaped in front of her.

Charm could not help but to snort at the eager beaver.

"Ah, uhm, _I'm _Robin. And this is M'gan," He gestured first to himself, and then to Miss Martian. "Ah, and that's Wally," He gestured to the boy with broken arm. "Artemis," The blonde girl in the green mask. "Kaldur," Aqualad. "and Connor." Superman's clone.

After making the proper introductions, Robin laughed nervously. It was rather amusing for Charm to see that Batman's protege was not as suave as he always seemed.

"Welcome to the cave," Aqualad greeted in a friendly manner.

"Uh, thanks," Zatanna was the first of the new girls to speak. She had never looked shyer to Charm than in this particular instance in which she was face to face with the Boy Wonder.

"So, uh, y-y-you joining the team?" Robin sputtered out.

Suddenly, Zatara was in between the two young teens.

"Ah, let's...not get ahead of ourselves, this is strictly a visit." He explained to the team. He paused a moment before walking swiftly over to a tall blonde woman, Black Canary.

"Sorry we missed the training, it's something from which my girls could benefit."

As soon as he had said this, the Young Justice members saw fit to launch themselves into a telepathic conversation.

To Charm and Zatanna, however, it simply seemed as if they were having some sort of suggestive staring contest with one another.

"They look like they're talking, but their lips aren't moving..." Charm whispered to her companion.

"...Are you guys having a psychic conversation?" Zatanna inquired tentatively.

Her inquisitive statement suddenly caught the attention of both Zatara and Black Canary.

"...'cause I can't decide if that's cool or extremely rude." She finished quietly.

Her friend was not quite as indecisive, though.

"THAT'S EXTREMELY COOL!" Charm squealed.

Whether she realized it or not, the team gave her an appreciative smile.

Zatara and Black Canary gave the team a questioning look that sent Connor over the edge.

"Alright, fine, we were talking about Red Tornado!" He revealed. "It's been weeks since his attack and the League hasn't told us anything."

"Whoa, attack?" Charm questioned in alarm. She must have been rather poorly informed on League business, because she hadn't heard anything at all about the robot hero turning traitor.

"The League is searching for Red Tornado as well as the other androids that invaded the cave, along with their creator, T.O. Morrow. Batman's made tracking them down our greatest priority." Black Canary replied as her gaze shifted from sidekick to sidekick.

"But you've found none of the above!" Robin complained suddenly.

"Not yet, but Tornado is Justice League. The team is _not_ to pursue this." Black Canary spoke with an air of finality.

"Why don't you all..." Zatara paused as his eyes roamed the room in search of his daughter. He found her cuddling up with a large, white wolf in a corner of the cave. "...take, eh, Zatanna and Charm on a, err, tour of the cave?" He offered. He was not so adept at finding Charm, however, would had subsequently sneaked off on her own.

"You're giving a tour? COOL!" Oh, there she was! Following Captain Marvel around like a lost puppy.

"_You're_ cool! OhmyGod! You know, I'm often surrounded by magic users, but it's always so interesting to meet more! And your magic word: Shazam, it's so interesting-" Charm gushed. It was obvious that her rambles only served to fuel Billy Batson's ego.

Charm hardly had time to finish her little spheel, due to the sudden appearance of the wolf that Zatanna had previously been cuddling. It was probably after the plate of food that Captain Marvel carried with him, but Charm was too terrified to see that.

"He looks like he's in the mood for rabbit!" She blurted as her ears stood erect and on full alert. "He's going to eat me!"

"Maybe you should take Wolf outside, Captain Marvel. He needs the exercise and he does seem to be intimidating our guest...we'll join you in a few." Connor suggested casually as he approached Captain Marvel, Wolf, and Charm.

"Oh, sure! I can do that! Come on, Wolf!" Captain Marvel agreed before jogging off with the aforementioned canine.

"Hey! What about my nachos?" Kid Flash complained with slumped shoulders.

He didn't have time to protest as Connor dragged him off along with the rest of the underage heroes and heroines.

* * *

><p>"When did you - how did you?" Robin sputtered, walking dangerously close to Zatanna.<p>

The aforementioned sorceress had now changed into civilian clothes before any of the team members had the chance to blink.

"You act as if you've never encountered magic before." Charm noted, still in her professional clothes.

Whilst Zatanna seemed to be buddying up with Robin, Charm found herself quite content with drooling after the much older Connor and the object of his affections, Miss Martian.

"I didn't get to _personally_ introduce myself, but I'm M'gan. You can just call me Meagan, though, it's a lot more human, don't you think?" Miss Martian smiled.

"Why would you want to be more human? I think being a green-skinned alien superhero is extraordinary!" Charm retorted with a smile of her own.

"Oh, thanks?" Miss Martian's smile got a little larger.

"Hm," Connor grunted in approval.

"So, you're not actually going to give us a tour, are you?" Zatanna decided to cut to the chase.

Suddenly the entire group came to a halt.

"No, we're chasing down that robot!" Connor stated assertively.

"Yes, we are." Aqualad nodded.

"Oh, wow. Out loud and everything." Zatanna's eyes widened.

"What about the new girls?" Artemis questioned. She was obvious suspicious of how trustworthy Zatanna and Charm could be.

"I'm sure she - they won't tell!" Robin quickly jumped to their defense. It was obvious that he was more concerned with Zatanna, though.

"I can't tell!" Zatanna insisted. "Not if you _kidnap_ me!"

Artemis smirked. "Oh, she's going to fit in great."

Everyone then rounded on Charm.

"Like I have a choice in the matter?" She crossed her arms over her chest and cocked an eyebrow at the lot of them.

"You do have a choice!" Miss Martian said sweetly. "And I can tell that it's to accompany us."

* * *

><p>"M'gan, the Bioship wasn't authorized for departure..." Black Canary's voice boomed over the speaker system of M'gan's Martian Bioship.<p>

With guilty expressions, everyone turned to one another.

"We're kidnapping Zatanna and Charm! To...err, show them Happy Harbor!" Miss Martian obviously had difficulty telling lies.

"Be back soon!" M'gan assured them.

"Roger that..." Black Canary began, feeling unsure. "Uh, have fun..."

"Whoa..." It seemed that everyone let out a breath of relief the moment the communication with Black Canary ended.

"Your dad is going to kill us." Charm stated, reclining back in her seat.

"League members don't kill, Charm~" Miss Martian explained innocently.

"It was an exaggeration, M'gan." Charm explained to her.

Miss Martian slapped a hand to her face.

"Hello, Meagan! Of course it was..." Miss Martian giggled to herself.

Charm was unsure whether or not to ask about the Martian's peculiar behavior, so she simply remained silent.

"Where exactly are we going?" Robin spoke up suddenly. "Batman is the world's greatest detective and he's searched for Tornado and Morrow in every logical location, if we're going to do better...we need an illogical solution."

Without warning, everyone turned to glance at Kid Flash.

"A truly _dumb_ idea," Robin added for emphasis as he stared the young hero down.

It took a while for realization to hit him. "As a matter of fact..."

* * *

><p>"Whoa, Belle Reve! So this is where criminals go when Arkham's booked!" Charm exclaimed in wonder. Her statement got a snort out of quite a few team members.<p>

"You're familiar with Arkham?" Robin queried in surprise.

"Yeah, we recently moved from NYC to Gotham; Zatara's orders." Charm elaborated nonchalantly.

"Oh, but I haven't seen the two of you around..." Robin quirked a brow in confusion. He was totally sure that he would have at least run into them once or twice if they lived in his city.

"I wouldn't expect you to, you're always so busy with Batsie-baby, after all." Charm shrugged.

The team was now steadily strolling through the dank halls of maximum security prison, Belle Reve. Of course, they were a tad lost since Kid Flash had sped off ahead of them as per usual.

After the clipped conversation between Robin and Charm, the team drifted off into a peaceful silence as they meandered through the hall in search of a specific prisoner's cell. It was roughly fifteen minutes before Kid Flash returned with a taunting jibe of, "Hurry up, slowpokes! I've found him!"

* * *

><p>"Warden Strange owed us a favor for stopping last month's prison break, so he gave us five minutes with you." Miss Martian explained with her hands placed firmly upon the table before her. She was looking fiercely into the eyes of the team's prisoner of choice in a way that Charm and Zatanna deemed out of character for the girl.<p>

"Spill, Ivo. How do we find T.O. Morrow and his Reds?" Connor inquired impatiently.

"Now why in the world would I know how to find T.O. Morrow?" Ivo questioned with an innocent facade.

"Because..." Kid Flash began, stepping up to bat. "And here's a truly dumb idea, you're Morrow's biggest competitor in the evil android game. Who better to keep track of what he's up to and where?"

"Hah, I see your point." Ivo agreed with clasped hands. "So let me rephrase, why in the world would I _want_ to tell you how to find Morrow?"

"He knows...do what you must." Aqualad stated. It was obvious that he wanted Miss Martian to read Ivo's mind.

"Oh, please, as if I've never faced a telepath before!" Ivo replied indignantly as he reclined back in his chair.

Suddenly, Zatanna appeared behind of him.

"[3]Trulb tuo s'worrom laer noitacol!" Zatanna ordered.

"Morrow's in a secret underground base beneath Yellowstone National Park. One hundred meters south of Old Faithful." Ivo blurted out hastily.

Zatanna and Charm smirked.

The team was left flabbergasted.

"Wait, what just happened?" Ivo blinked.

* * *

><p>"Block out all external communications, soon Canary, Zatara, and even Batman, I imagine, will know of our <em>visit<em> with Professor Ivo. We haven't much time." Aqualad instructed Miss Martian.

"Look, I'm trying to be all nonchalant here..." Robin began as he turned to stare at Zatanna.

"Why? Be as chalant as you like." Zatanna cut him off.

"I think we're all just trying to get a handle on your powers." Artemis explained.

"Could you...teleport us to Tornado? Or Morrow to a cell? Or force those bots to surrender?" Artemis inquired.

"Or create peace on Earth for all time?" Zatanna offered coyly.

Everyone simply stared at her.

"Zatara couldn't even do all that, and I'm nowhere near on my dad's level. I need to know a spell cold, or else have time to prep it. Plus, all magic requires energy which usually has to come from within. I just can't make the impossible happen at will." Zatanna dismissed.

"What's are ETA to Yellowstone? I'm way past ready to stuff Tornado into a trash compactor!" Connor roared out of the blue.

"Are you so certain he betrayed us?" Aqualad challenged his anger.

"Aren't you?" Connor shouted back.

"I am not so convinced. And even so, that makes him but the victim of his creator's programming. Certainly he deserves a chance to prove that he's more than the weapon others designed him to be." Aqualad reasoned. His statement obviously struck a cord in the clone. Conner himself was designed to be a weapon against Superman if he ever went astray from the path of justice.

* * *

><p>Awhile later, the Bioship made a delicate landing amongst a patch of trees and all members of the team switched their costumes to stealth-mode.<p>

"I recommend that you stay behind," Aqualad stated to Zatanna and Charm.

"Is that an order?" Zatanna challenged as she placed a hand on her hip.

"No," Aqualad shook his head. "You must do as you see fit."

"Good," Zatanna grinned. "[4]Emit ot yrt tuo a wen kool!"

She was temporarily surrounded in a swirl of blue light before her casual clothes were replaced with her usual costume.

"Zatanna?" Charm questioned in anticipation.

"Oh yeah!" Zatanna nodded." [5]Nrut reh gnihtolc ot htlaets edom!"

In another brief swirl of blue, Charm's clothing became quite achromatic, although the same could not be said for her brilliant green locks and rabbit ears.

Artemis snorted. "Ooh, very stealthy, Bugs."

* * *

><p>"Ivo was right, something's down there." Robin confirmed once they were the standard one hundred meters south of Old Faithful.<p>

Suddenly a gust of vicious wind knocked everyone on their backs.

"But what he didn't mention is that something would be up there!" Charm pointed out.

Levitating high above them was Red Tornado in all of his metallic glory.

Crimson colored tornadoes began to swirl at various spots around the team.

"Why, Tornado? Why are you doing this?" Miss Martian cried out in anguish.

Red Tornado failed to answer her shocked inquiry.

"Who cares why!" Connor exclaimed before charging forward.

He and Aqualad performed this fantastic combo move, Maneuver 7, that resulted in Aqualad being launched into the sky with the strength that only a boy Superman could posses, but it was, of course, to no avail. This was then followed by combo attacks between Artemis and Robin that also proved to be useless.

"That does it, Red, you're not the only spin-doctor around here!" Kid Flash exclaimed. It was obviously that he was enraged at how carelessly his former "Den Mother" injured his teammates. He then greeted a mini, swirling gray tornado that almost successfully distracted Red Tornado long enough for Miss Martian to land a sucker-punch. Unfortunately, their attack was also futile against the former League member.

When Charm and Zatanna were the only two heroes left standing, Zatanna took to the offensive. She began to hastily spit out a backwards spell, but was stopped by the curling of Red Tornado's metallic hand around her neck. Once her windpipe had suffered long enough to disorientate her, Red Tornado tossed her to the ground like a doll. Luckily, Charm was there to catch her.

"Oh, man," Charm hissed out in pain as she rubbed the part of her body that had absorbed all the shock and friction. From above, Red Tornado looked at her expectantly as if to say, "Well, aren't you going to do something?"

Charm grinned. "Of course-" but then the telepathic link reached her.

_"Charm, don't be alarmed. This is Meagan, I've linked you psychically with the rest of the team. I'm sure you have really cool powers, but don't even try to use them. Red Tornado left a message in the dirt? Don't you see it? PLAY DEAD!"_

"I could come at you, bro, but we both know I haven't got the courage for that..."

For added effect, she began to tremble in fear. She had the idea to perform a very believable, yet melodramatic, faint, but there was no need for such things as another Red android suddenly appeared.

"Quite a performance, brother, but we both know that is all it was." Red Volcano complimented, revealing that he knew all the tricks of his elder brother's trade.

"I have all of your memories, Tornado, plus a Next-Gen. processor," Red Volcano exclaimed as he rose up on a rocky platform. "Thus, I know your next move before you do."

Realizing that their clever ploy had failed, all of the Young Justice members and company stopped playing dead.

Red Volcano lifted up the PLAY DEAD message that had been inscribed in the dirt as he sighed.

"Tch. Blowing a message into the sand?" His question came off somewhat incredulous even if the influx of his tone never changed.

Red Volcano sent huge chunks of debris flying towards the young heroes, but luckily they avoided it.

"_Zatanna_?" Robin's voice was laced with worry for the young magician that had nearly been crushed by rock and dirt.

"_I'm good, but Red Tornado's getting away_!" Zatanna pointed out, glancing at the red swirl that was steadily becoming more distant by the minute.

"_Is he abandoning us_?" Artemis inquired in outrage.

"_I don't believe that!_" Miss Martian defended.

"You stand no chance against me, humans." Red Volcano explained, deflecting one of Aqualad's heavy blows.

"WE'RE NOT HUMANS!" Miss Martian and Connor corrected in angry unison.

"My apologies, I suppose the properly inclusive term would be meatbags." Red Volcano corrected himself as huge hands came out of the ground in order to smack the aliens down.

The next to be taken down were Artemis and Aqualad who got thrown into a hole in the ground, they would have been crushed to death if Artemis did not use an arrow as a grappling hook and swing the two of them out of there quickly. Robin then attempted a simple Batarang, but even that proved fruitless.

"Red Tornado's memory files and my superior processing skills allow me to anticipate your every move." Red Volcano said as the aforementioned Batarang exploded in his hand.

Zatanna quickly shouted a spell that caused the smoke around Red Volcano to become tangible and temporarily blind him.

"Tornado never knew my moves!" Zatanna grinned as Red Volcano struggled to remove what blinded him.

"And I bet you've got some good ones!" Robin commented, coming to her side.

"Whoa, sorry. That may have come off a little too Wally..." Robin added sheepishly.

Zatanna was highly amused. "I don't mind."

Meanwhile, whilst this happened, Charm saw fit to put her moves into action.

With a wave of her hand, a ripple of green light went rumbling off into Red Volcano's direction. The overall effect of such a thing was that the ground rippled with the light and Red Volcano nearly lost his balance. This, in turn, angered the young android, thus causing his eyes to glow red and burn through the makeshift blindfold.

"Hm, laser eyes and a synchronized volcano eruption..." Charm noted. "That's _choice!_"

Zatanna sighed both at the situation and at her friend's behavior. Not only had the volcano erupted, but it had also given Red Volcano more firepower...literally. As Red Volcano began to toss molten rocks in the general direction of the heroes, everyone began to panic.

"_He's activating a Stage 2 eruption, if it gets to Stage 3 you can kiss the hemisphere goodbye_!" Kid Flash exclaimed as he grit his teeth in frustration.

"Hit 'em from all sides!" Aqualad commanded quickly.

Although everyone did so, they failed to do so simultaneously.

Aqualad hit first, then Connor, and then M'gan who was nearly burnt by heavy steam.

Red Volcano scooped Miss Martian up in his hand, and Zatanna knew that she had to do what she could to save her. After exclaiming a quick spell, a plethora of Kid Flash duplicates appeared.

Due to being pretty much inexperience in real-life combat and feeling way too proud of herself, Zatanna decided to monologue a bit. "I use a scaled down version of this when I want to sneak out of the house..." She giggled triumphantly.

Red Volcano managed to destroy all the replicas, but failed to vanquish the real one. This gave Kid Flash just enough time to steal Miss Martian back from Red Volcano.

Whilst Red Volcano was preoccupied, a huge whirlpool of water erupted from the ground and struck at Volcano, knocking him back.

"Nice hit!" Robin called to Aqualad, assuming that it was his handiwork.

"The hit was not mine," Aqualad confirmed.

All heroes and heroines then turned to notice the existence of Red Torpedo. Before anything else could be said, Red Torpedo bombarded his youngest brother with another powerful rush of water. Red Volcano attempted to reclaim the high ground by rising up on a molten rock background, but it was sliced into bits by Red Tornado. Once Red Volcano surfaced, he looked absolutely enraged. Before he could fully emerge from the lava, he was hit with fireballs originating from the hands of his sister, Red Inferno.

As Red Volcano was subdued by his siblings, he cried out for them to cease. "Sister, brothers, stop!" He commanded.

Red Torpedo and Red Inferno submerged Red Volcano into the boiling lava to which all three began to melt. The only thing that could be heard from them afterwards was the whisper of, "Father would be so disappointed in you," echoing from below the surface.

Red Tornado nearly perished along with them, but just as the majority of his legs disintegrated, Connor rescued him. There was no time to thank him for his efforts, or to make sure that he was okay, however, as the volcano began to make ominous eruptions.

"Tornado, listen! We're on the verge of a Stage 3 Super-volcano eruption. There's no turning back from that. We need to vent pressure, fast! The ash cloud will bring about a world-wide nuclear winter unless you divert it!" Kid Flash exclaimed.

Red Tornado, rendered unable to speak, merely nodded. Kid Flash turned to Robin. "Triangulate around the pressure locusts!"

"Right," Robin nodded, pulling up his holographic computer. After a moment of typing furiously on his keyboard he spoke again. "There, there, and there!" He pointed to three red dots upon his computer screen. Without having to be told, Artemis sent three arrows in the general direction of the pressure locusts. The arrows hit their intended targets, and Red Tornado took to the sky. He created a, well, red tornado that sucked up all of the smoke and ash and then funneled it off into an entirely different direction.

"Yes!" Kid Flash fist-pumped like a champ.

After successfully completing his job, Red Tornado fell to the ground in a swirl of red. The group ran to him, filled to the brim with worry for their friend.

"Red Tornado!" Robin cried.

* * *

><p>"There, that should do it!" Robin stated as he and Kid Flash both stepped back from the repaired android.<p>

"Yes, I can speak again." Red Tornado confirmed.

"You were willing to sacrifice yourself to save the planet," Aqualad noted proudly.

"The planet would have survived. It was humanity that was saved, though not by me. My sister and brother were the true heroes on this day." Red Tornado corrected.

"My point is this, you were never the mole, never the traitor." Aqualad stated.

"No, I left to protect you from further attack and to find my creator, Morrow." Red Tornado explained to the team.

"Cool, souvenir!" Kid Flash grinned as he held up a robot hand.

Robin trudged over to Red Tornado with a huge robot leg.

"Reddy! We can rebuild you better than you were before!" Robin offered.

"I do not believe I should be repaired." Red Tornado declined.

"Why'd you volunteer to be our den mother in the first place?" Connor interjected with a scowl.

"I was the pragmatic choice. I do not require sleep, I have no secret identity or second life to live." Red Tornado listed off.

"But you _do_ have advanced A.I. programming designed to learn, adapt, evolve!" Kid Flash retorted with a reassuring grin.

"Hello, Meagan!" Miss Martian slapped a hand to her forehead. "You wanted to become more human!"

"And you couldn't do that with the league, they're stiffs!" Artemis added.

"You're not going to learn emotion from Batman, trust me!" Robin declared.

"Then the cave was not a proving ground only for us, but for you as well." Aqualad realized.

"I do not know if these statements are accurate, but perhaps...they are true. And if I understand the term correctly, I have come to...care about you all." Red Tornado replied.

"See? Practically a meatbag already," Conner smirked slyly.

"Which reminds me," Red Tornado began. "I must attend to my real...father, so perhaps I do require my lower extremities, after all."

* * *

><p>"So, good kidnapping?" Robin was the first to speak on the trip back. He leaned forward casually and placed a gloved hand on the back of Zatanna's chair.<p>

"Actually, yeah. Best ever!" Zatanna beamed at him.

"First of many, I hope?" Robin ventured.

Zatanna and Charm shared a look at this.

"If my dad doesn't ground us for life." She retorted.

Charm's rabbit ears flattened soundly against her cranium.

"Awh, man!" She wailed.

The team couldn't help but to laugh.

* * *

><p><strong>Footnotes &amp; Backwards Spells:<strong>

** [1]_Sylvilagus floridanus_** - European Cottontail.

**[2]Zig-Zag Girl** - A magic trick that is quite similar to that "Sawing a woman in half!" gimmick, yet instead of being split in half a woman is divided into thirds and then put back together.

**[3]Trulb tuo s'worrom laer noitacol** - Blurt out Morrow's real location.

**[4]Emit ot yrt tuo a wen kool** - Time to try out a new look.

**[5]Nrut reh gnihtolc ot htlaets edom** - Turn her clothing to stealth mode.


End file.
